Pull-switch socket



June 1 1926.

R. B. BENJAMIN ET AL PULL SWITCH SOCKET Filed Sept. 27 1920 2 sheets-sheet 1 7 a 59 37 aa' June 1 1926.

R. B. BENJAMIN ET AL PULL swmcu socxmw Filed Sept. 27. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 1, 1926.

barren stares restate PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN IB. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, AND CHESTER E. WARNER, OF BERWYN, ILLI- NOIS, ASSIGNORS TO BENJAMIN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHI- CAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PULL-SWITCH SOCKET.

Application filed September 27, 1920. Serial No. 413,166.

Our invention relates to circuit controlling devices, and particularly to pull switch sockets or receptacles.

One of the objects of our invention is to provide a pull switch socket which will be efficient and durable in use, simple in construction and cheap to manufacture.

A further object is to provide a pull switch socket having a switch mechanism which is capable of handling currents of larger wattage than heretofore. Such sockets are now called upon to carry current for electric flat irons, vacuum cleaners and other devices, taking more current than the sockets commonly in use are capable of handling safely, and in view of the limited space available in the ordinary socket, it has been a matter of great difficulty to produce a pull switch mechanism which could be safely em ployed in a socket at the present time. This is accomplished in the socket and switch mechanism forming the subject matter of the present invention.

Further objects will appear from the de tailed description to follow and from the appended claims.

In the drawings, in which an embodiment of our invention is shown:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a pull switch angle socket with the cap removed;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is asection on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1; i

Fig. 6 is an unassembled perspective View of the part of the switch mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the switch frame; and y I Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 5.

The construction shown in the drawings comprises in a general way, an angle pull switch socket having a threaded shell contact 10, a center contact 11, wiring terminals 12 and 13 for the shell and center contacts respectively, switch mechanism 14 for controlling the circuit between the center contact 11 and its wiring terminal 13, an m-,

sulating base 14" on which are mounted the contacts 10 and 11, the wiring terminals 12 and 13, and the switch mechanism 14, and

a sheet metal casing 15 surroundingthe insulating base 14*, and threaded shell contact 10. A suitable insulating lining or sleeve 16 isv placed between the threaded shell contact 10 and the casing 15.

The threaded shell contact 1O is always electrically connected with its wiring terminal 12 by means of a screw 17 (Figs. 1

and 3) which extends through an opening in the flange 18 of the shell contact and is threaded into the binding plate 19 of the wiring terminal 12.

The switch mechanism 14 controls the circuit between a. pair of switch contacts 20 and 21 (Figs. 1 and 4) the center contact 11 being always electrically connected with the switch contact 20 and the wiring terminal 13 being always electrically connected with theswitch contact 21. The electrical connection between the contact 20 and the center contact 11 is effected by a tubular metal eyelet 22 which also serves to hold the center contact and the switch contact 20 in place on the insulating base 14. The

other switch contact 21 may be formed as part of anintegral sheet metal stamping, which integral sheet metal stamping comprises also the binding plate portion 22 of the wiring terminal 13, and a conducting strap portion 24 for supporting the binding plate 23 and electrically connecting it with the switch contact 21. r

The switch mechanism 14 which controls the circuit between the switch contacts 20 and 21 (and hence between the wiring terminal 13'and center contact 11) comprises a pivoted switch blade 25, oscillatable back and forth to make or break the circuit with respect to the'con'tacts 20 and 21, a bent wire spring 26 (Fig. 6) bearing on the oscillatable switch blade 25, and shift-able back and forth past a dead center to cause oscillation of the switch blade, a slidable spring shifting 27, reciprocable upon the upright guide 23 for shifting the spring 26 back and forth past a dead center, a rotatable cam 29 for causing reciprocation of the slide 27, a driven ratchet member 30 to which the cam 29 is secured, a combination driving ratchet and switch levcr member 31 for actuating the driven ratchet member 30,-a pull chain 32 for actuating the switch lever 31. a switch shaft 33 on which the switch blade 25, the

cam 29 and the ratchet members 30 and 31 are mounted, and a switch frame 34 having bearing openings 35 and 36 to receive the switch shaft 33.

The switch blade 25 comprises an insulating contact carrier 37 which may be of sheet fibre, and a slightly yieldable contact member 38 mounted on the contact carrier 37, and movable into and out of engagement with respect to the switch contacts 20 and 21.

In order to secure the contact 38 in place on the contact carrier 37, the contact carrier is provided with a notch 39 in its upper face, and with a lug or projection 40 on its lower face, and the contact 39 is provided with a pair of lugs ll, extending into the notch 39 and with an opening on its under side into which the lug 40 extends. For the sake of compactness, the contact carrier 37 is cut away as indicated at 42, and the slide 27 is cut away as indicated at a3.

For limiting the oscillatory movement of the switch arm 25, the contact carrier 37 is provided with two stop projections at and 15 which straddle a. stop lug e6 7) which extends laterally from the switch frame 34. For oscillatably mounting the switch arm 25 on the switch shaft 33, the insulating contact carrier 37 is provided with a semi-circular notch 47, which embraces the.

switch shaft 33, the spring 26 hearing on the contact carrier 37, and holding the semicircular bearing notch 47 in engagement with the switch shaft 33.

The spring 26 may be formed of wire, for

' the sake of compactness bent so as to straddle the contact carrier 37, the ends 43 of the spring being secured in holes 49 in the spring shifting member 27, and the two sides of the spring being connected by a pivot portion. 50 which is seated in a. notch 51 in the contact carrier 37. The spring shifting member-27 may be formed as an integral sheet metal stamping having a U-shaped portion which embraces the upright guide 23 on which the slide is mounted, and having a pair of lugs 52 and 53 bent inwardly against the guide 28 to hold the slide in position on the guide. The slide 27 is cut away as indicated at 54- to provide an opening to receive the rotatable cam 29, upper and lower follower lugs 55 and 56 being provided for engagement with the cam 29, whereby the points of engagement between the cam 29 and the slide 27 will lie in a straight line.

The cam 29 is provided with a semi-cin cular opening 57 to receive the switch shaft 33, and the cam is so shaped as to provide a sort of notch adjacent the semi-circular opening 57 which cooperates with the follower projections 55 and 56 for preventing the cam member 29 from being turned backward on the return movement of the switch lever 31.

The cam member 29 is secured to rotate with the driven ratchet member 30 by means of a rivet 58 (Fig. 5) extending through registering openings 59 and 60 in the cam and driven ratchet members.

The driven ratchet member 30 may be an integral sheet metal stamping having an opening 61 through which the switch shaft 33 extends, and having a pair of ratchet openings 62 for cooperation with corresponding ratchet projections or teeth 63 on the driving ratchet member 31. The member 31 may be formed of an integral sheet metal stamping, having a chain rail portion 64 for receiving the pull chain 32, and having a hook portion 65 to which the ends of the 1 pull chain 32 are secured.

For returning the member 31 after it has been actuated by the pull chain 32 and. for holding it over against the driven ratchet member 30, a coil torsion and compression spring 66 is provided, having one end secured to the switch frame, and the other end secured to the driving ratchet member as indicated at 67 (Fig. 5). For limiting the movement of the switch lever 31 under the action of the return spring 66, a stop projection 68 is struck up from the switch frame 3a (Fi 7) with which the hook portion 65 of the switch lever 31 engages on its return movement.

For the sake of compactness the opening 36 in the switch frame is made in the form of a notch rather than in the form of a hole. This enables the guide 28 to be made narrower, than it could be made by using a hole. If a hole were used in place 01 a notch, and the guide 28 were made of the same width, the guide would soon wear the metal away adjacent the hole, leaving two sharp points or edges.

In operation the pull chain 32 is pulled down to cause the member 31 to move through 180 degrees. This causes the driven ratchet member 30 and the cam 29 also to be moved through 180 degrees. This causes the spring shifting slide 27 to be moved from one extreme position to the other, and moves the spring 26 past a dead center to cause the switch blade to move from one extreme position to the other. When the pull chain is released, the member 31 is returned by means of the return spring 66. The succeed mg pull on the pull chain wlll cause the.

switch blade 25 to move to its other extreme position.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A switch construction comprising a switch frame having a bearing post, a pivot pin mounted in said bearing post, a switch blade mounted on said pivot pin and oscillatable back and forth, a spring bearing on said switch blade and shiftable back and forth past a dead center to cause oscillation of said switch blade, and a spring shifting member slidably mounted on said bearing post for shifting said spring back and forth, said member engaging said pivot pin to hold it in place in said bearing post.

2. A pull switch construction comprising a pivoted oscillatable switch blade, a spring bearing on said switch blade and movable back and forth, past a dead center to cause oscillation of said switch blade, and means for shifting said spring comprising an elongated guide member, and a slide slidably mounted on said guide member, said slide having a pair of openings therein, said spring being of bent wire, and straddling said switch blade and having its ends engaging said openings.

A switch construction comprising an oscillatable switch arm and a compression spring bearing on said switch arm and shift able back and forth to cause oscillation of said switch arm, said spring comprising a piece of wire bent to provide two curved compression spring portions between which said switch arm is embraced.

4. A switch construction comprising an oscillatable switch arm and a compression spring bearing on said switch arm and shiftable back and forth to cause oscillation of said switch arm, said spring comprising a piece of wire bentto provide two curved compression spring portions between which said switch arm is embraced, and a bearing portion connecting the two curved spring portions and bearing on the switch arm.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN. CHESTER E. WARNER. 

